THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Kagome. These characters belong solely to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz.
Oh, and the SVU characters belong to Dick Wolf's company!
I do however own my own creations.
Chapter 24
Inuyasha walked away from his brother, who lay in a crumpled heap on the compound grounds. Walking into the bombed out foyer of his main Japanese home, he stopped and sniffed. The shadow attempted to move away quietly, unnoticed, but soon realized that the attempt was futile. He had been discovered,
"Yasha!" his father called.
"Hai, Otou-san." Yasha replied in his formal Japanese.
Inuyasha faced his son and their eyes met. Recognizing the look in his father's eyes, Yasha quickly averted his eyes to the ground. He was not about to challenge his father.
"You overheard. You stayed behind and listened." his father said to him.
Yasha kept his eyes on the ground, "Hai, Otou-san." he replied, softly.
Yasha kept his breathing steady and still, through years of practice. He was well aware of his father's anger and had no desire to see it released upon himself, especially after what he had just witnessed. Still, he had disobeyed a direct order from the Alpha male of the pack. This was generally considered unforgivable. He knew he deserved to be shunned ... or worse. He awaited his punishement,
::: Beta male disobeyed Alpha male ::: Inuyasha growled in the ancient Inu youkai language.
::: Yes ::: Yasha responded in kind.
::: Other males:::
::: Did not overhear :::
Yasha let out a small whine from his throat ... a whine of submission and obedience, hoping to appease his father. He remained stock-still, almost daring not to breathe. Then he heard it, or thought he did. Yasha looked up a bit at his father, making sure not to make eye contact. His father stood there next to him. Almost imperceptible, his father released a low, deep rumbling from his throat. Yasha released his breath, gratefully, and relaxed. Walking close to his father, he leaned in and licked his father's chin ... the sign of submission. His father had not shunned him from the pack. Inuyasha growled again and this time Yasha allowed himself to make eye contact with his father.
"Gather the others." Inuyasha stated, "I need to see your mother as soon as possible."
Yasha turned to get Shippou and his brothers. He wasn't about to disobey another direct order for anything. His sensitive nose informed him of his father's wants and needs. He had displeased his father enough by disobeying him when he was angry. To disobey a youkai, or even a hanyou, in desperate need of mating would warrant him a fate worse than death.
Inuyasha walked back to where his brother sat in the courtyard, nursing his wounds.
"Let's go, you bastard. We're going to Canada."
As sensitive as Yasha's nose was, Sesshoumaru's was even more so,
"HMPH! Your body reeks, Inuyasha. All you can think about, with all that is happening around you, is bedding your mate. I'll stay here, thank you."
Inuyasha bonked his brother on the head, hard,
"You idiot! We need the fucking Tenseiga to stop all this madness! You are the only one who can wield it! Don't tell me you aren't coming along!" Inuyasha yelled at his brother.
Sesshoumaru rose from his position on the ground and silently walked into the house. Inuyasha followed behind. When Shippou, Bunza, and Kieran saw Sesshoumaru, they stopped what they were doing and stared. They had never seen the proud daiyoukai look so ragged and disheveled. Their eyes went to Inuyasha and then to Yasha. Yasha met their eyes and simply nodded silently. The young men understood what was being conveyed. The young men all thought the same thing,
'Bout time Inuyasha stood up to him.'
Donning the capes, the six men headed out to the airport. The spells kept the men hidden as they contacted other demons incognito and arranged to be transfered out of Japan and into Canada. Inuyasha was impressed with the efficiency of the entire operation. Secretly boarding a plane, Inuyasha was unnerved to find that the only humans traveling were Arabs. His skin began to crawl from the lack of freedom the world now had. Yasha had started telling his father of the way the world was now. Inuyasha was disturbed to hear that if his wife, or any other woman or girl in his family wished to go out without the spell, they had to wear a burka, the traditional Afghani dress forced on women by Al-Qaida. What horrified him most was to learn that Yasha's beloved mate and young daughter were murdered, shortly after the world change, when they didn't conform. Anger seethed inside him as he vowed to return the world to its former glory. The world had had its problems, but it was nothing like what he now witnessed.
Arriving in British Columbia, the men were whisked away in an old Hummer. Yasha proceeded to inform him that the family money was safe, thanks to Uncle, but the companies owned by the brothers were in financial ruin because neither Yasha or Sesshoumaru agreed to work for Al-Qaida. Inuyasha noticed that the driver of the Hummer took the secret access route to the Canadian compound and was glad he had taken the time, so many years ago, to protect the compound in such a way. As the property came into view, Inuyasha was relieved to see that it had not changed in the least. He learned from Yasha that it was still a full working farm with a full staff, capable of providing food and clean water to both clans of dog-demons, their servants and the assistants to the war.
Getting out of the car, Inuyasha's first thought was to put his nose to the air,
'There it is.' he thought.
Picking up his pace, Inuyasha burst through the front door of his house. Ignoring all his pups and servants, who registered disbelief and shock over who had just entered, Inuyasha bounded into the kitchen. There, standing at the sink in a soft, summery pink kimono, stood Kagome. He breathed her name reverantly,
"Kagome."
Kagome looked up as confusion, shock and then elation swept over her face,
"INUYASHA!" she screamed.
She ran into his arms, millions of questions running through her mind, as she passionately kissed the man she had missed for ten years. Though it wasn't as long for her mate, to him it did seem like a thousand years. Inuyasha picked up his mate, bridal style, and triumphantly carried her upstairs, leaving Yasha to explain his re-appearance to everyone else.